NBR officials hold pen-down strike again
Officials and employees held a sit-in and pen-down strike at the NBR headquarters in Dhaka today, Monday, demanding logical reforms in the National Board of Revenue (NBR).
The NBR officials started the three-hour protest wearing shroud at 9:00 am. The NBR Reform Unity Council, a platform comprising NBR officials on Saturday announced the programme at a press conference.
Council’s president, additional commissioner Hasan Muhammad Tarek Rikabdar along with council’s general secretary, additional tax commissioner Sehela Siddiqua reiterated their demand for rational reforms within the revenue board.
The council claimed that the incumbent NBR chairman should be removed immediately, alleging that his leadership has only delayed meaningful reforms. They previously declared the chairman “persona non grata” on the NBR premises.
Criticising the NBR Reform Committee formed on 19 June, the council demanded proper representation within the body.
The six-member committee, formed to amend revenue ordinances, comprises officials from the tax, customs and VAT wings but excludes any representatives from the reform council. Besides, no consultation was held with the council beforehand, they said.
The government issued an ordinance on 12 May abolishing the NBR and the Internal Resources Division (IRD), replacing them with two new divisions named ‘Revenue Policy Division’ and ‘Revenue Management Division’.
Since then, NBR officials under the banner of Reform Unity Council have been staging various protest programmes.
On 26 May, the government announced that necessary amendments to the ordinance would be made through discussions by 31 July. As part of that process, a new committee was formed Monday.
Earlier, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) imposed a ban on all kinds of gatherings, rallies, and demonstrations from Shishu Mela to the National Board of Revenue (NBR) office and its surrounding areas at Agargaon in the capital with effect from Sunday which will remain in place until further notice, said a public notice.